Yohanes Van Meerten of Flagstaff rolls to 14:10.1 at Mt. SAC Invitational, San Clemente secures boys team sweepstakes, with Riverside Poly’s Jace Deledonne also victorious

WALNUT – Two weeks after the most prestigious 5-kilometer course record in California prep cross country history was eclipsed by an elite athlete from Utah, the fastest 3-mile effort on another significant layout in the Golden State was achieved Saturday by a rising standout representing Arizona.

Yohanes Van Meerten, a junior at Flagstaff High, produced the fastest mark by a high school competitor on any course showcased at Mt. San Antonio College, running 14 minutes, 10.1 seconds to win the Division 1-2 boys team sweepstakes race at the 77th Mt. SAC Invitational Presented by Nike.

Austin Tamagno of Brea-Olinda High in California set the 2.91-mile all-time mark at Mt. SAC on the former course by running 14:23.2 at the 2014 meet. The course was updated to a full 3-mile layout last year, eliminating Poop-Out Hill and adding an extra 300 meters on the track inside Hilmer Lodge Stadium.

Trey Caldwell of Concord De La Salle in California ran 14:46.0 to win the Division 1-2 team sweepstakes race last year at the Mt. SAC Invitational.

Griffin Kushen from Tesoro High then clocked 14:38.5 to win the CIF-Southern Section Division 2 title last season for the fastest 3-mile performance on the updated course.

Jace Deledonne of Riverside Poly lowered the meet record to 14:42.7 by winning the Division 1-2 individual sweepstakes race Saturday, approximately 40 minutes before Van Meerten raced.

Jace Deledonne of Riverside Poly ran 14:42.7 to win the Division 1-2 boys individual sweepstakes race at the 77th Mt. SAC Invitational Presented by Nike, with Albert Jacinto from Chaffey clocking 14:50.9 at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. | Photo courtesy of Alex Valladares

Van Meerten was motivated by the performance of Jackson Spencer from Herriman High in Utah running 14:16.9 to win the Rob Brenner boys championship race Oct. 11 at the 46th ASICS Clovis Invitational at Woodward Park in Fresno, eclipsing the 2007 course record of 14:24 achieved at the California Division 4 state final by German Fernandez of Riverbank High.

Van Meerten celebrated after crossing the finish line by placing his right index finger in front of his mouth, indicating that he is prepared for a potential showdown Nov. 22 with Spencer at the Nike Southwest Regional at Toka Sticks Golf Course in Arizona.

Van Meerten was familiar with the 5-kilometer course at Mt. SAC prior to competing Saturday, finishing third last year in 15:34.5 at the Foot Locker West Regional.

But his 14:25.7 performance Sept. 26 in the boys sweepstakes race at the Desert Twilight Festival on the 5-kilometer layout at Toka Sticks Golf Course provided a strong indication of his improvement since last year.

Yohanes Van Meerten of Flagstaff returned to Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., to compete at the 77th Mt. SAC Invitational Presented by Nike after taking third last year at the Foot Locker West Regional | Photo courtesy of Alex Valladares

Van Meerten led five competitors Saturday under the 15-minute barrier, including a pair of sophomores from Redondo Union, with Mario Montoya placing second in 14:50.2 and Matteo Sanchez taking fifth in 14:59.4, helping the Sea Hawks secure runner-up as a team with 134 points.

San Clemente relied on a seventh-place finish from junior Yohan Anderson in 15:03.0, with the Tritons placing five scorers in the top 45 to capture the Division 1-2 team sweepstakes title for the first time since 2022 with 104 points.

Yohan Anderson finished seventh in the Division 1-2 boys varsity team sweepstakes race in 15:03.0, with Alex Bland of Flagstaff securing sixth in 15:02.5. Anderson helped San Clemente capture its first team title since 2022 at the 77th Mt. SAC Invitational Presented by Nike at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif. | Photo courtesy of Alex Valladares

Maximo Zavaleta of Martin Luther King took third in 14:52.4, with fellow senior Cooper Castleberry from Poway placing fourth in 14:54.3.

Although Flagstaff achieved 11th as a team with 212 points, senior Alex Bland supported Van Meerten by running 15:02.5 to secure sixth for the Eagles.

Krish Desai (15:07.2) and Carson Ehman (15:07.6) of Mira Costa were eighth and ninth, contributing to the Mustangs finishing fourth with 147 points.

Mason Nguyen led Beckman to a third-place effort with 139 points, taking 10th overall in 15:09.3.

Deledonne pulled away in the final mile to prevail in the Division 1-2 individual sweepstakes race, with junior Albert Jacinto of Chaffey running 14:50.9 to secure second.

Jace Deledonne from Riverside Poly became the second-fastest California competitor to race on the updated 3-mile course at Mt. San Antonio College in Walnut, Calif., by clocking 14:42.7 to win the Division 1-2 boys individual sweepstakes at the 77th Mt. SAC Invitational Presented by Nike | Photo courtesy of Alex Valladares

Michael Ortega from Ontario took third in 15:11.1, Fernando Herrera from Alisal was fourth in 15:14.4 and sophomore Bryson Caganap achieved fifth in 15:16.5 to lead five scorers in the top 50 for Ayala, which edged Aliso Niguel by a 129-132 margin to secure the team victory.

Tyler Hedstrom of San Marcos achieved the fastest freshman performance on the updated 3-mile course by clocking 15:24.5 to take 12th in the Division 1-2 boys individual sweepstakes.

Lyle Mideiros, a senior at Claremont, closed out the meet by running 15:31.4 to triumph in the final Division 2 boys varsity race, leading the Wolfpack to a team win as well with 52 points.

Lyle Mideiros ran 15:31.4 to win his Division 2 boys varsity race, leading Claremont to the team victory as well at the 77th Mt. SAC Invitational Presented by Nike | Photo courtesy of Alex Valladares

The Central Section produced winners in three other Division 2 boys varsity races, with Angel Martinez of Mira Monte clocking 16:03.1, Blake Holtermann from Clovis West producing a 16:05.8 effort and Chris Wells of Bakersfield Frontier running 16:24.3.

Brandon Sun from Scripps Ranch was victorious in a Division 1-2 boys varsity race by clocking 15:29.1.

Edwin Anthoniraj of Valencia Placentia prevailed in Division 1 boys varsity competition in 15:31.9, Brock Wormald from Loyola won his Division 1 race in 15:38.3 and Lucas Teague from Hemet triumphed in 16:01.8.